ITALY: Infrastructure manager RFI has inaugurated a seismic warning system to enhance safety on the 211 km Roma – Napoli high speed line.
The technology was developed by RFI in collaboration with Federico II University in Napoli, with Japan’s Railway Technical Research Institute as consultant.
There are 20 seismic monitoring stations along the line, in areas owned by RFI and with easy access to its power and communications infrastructure. Data is transmitted on a dedicated optic fibre network.
Proprietary accelerometers provide real-time monitoring, which is used to estimate the intensity of an earthquake in the initial seconds.
If a pre-established acceleration threshold is exceeded, the warning system automatically activates emergency procedures such as slowing down or stopping trains, interfacing with the signalling system to do so.
A central operations manager can restart services once the emergency is over, issuing instructions to implement speed restrictions or lower pantographs.
